2 Corinthians 10:13 “But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.”

There are people only you can reach!

Envy is a vice that can cause great damage. It reaches into the heart of relationships and creates much havoc. Like a mouse squeezing into a home through the tightest places, this trait can even find its way into Christian circles and fruitful ministries.

The Corinthian church suffered the aftermath of envious leaders who infiltrated their midst after their spiritual father, the Apostle Paul, journeyed on to other places. Self-proclaimed apostles who lusted after power took charge of the congregation and began to deride Paul’s authority. By finding fault and casting doubt they convinced the Corinthians that Paul did not have their best interests at heart.

This was damaging to the integrity of the gospel message and a crushing heartbreak for Paul who loved the Corinthians deeply.

Within the letter of 2 Corinthians Paul seeks to defend his apostleship and uncover the real enemy behind the false apostles’ tactics. Satan, who disguises himself as an angel of light, worked in and through these envious men to gain control of the unsuspecting church members. Paul sought to reveal that their real motives were not based on love, but on the desire to enslave, devour, and take advantage of the situation. They wanted control and glory.

As Paul pleads with the Corinthian church he assures them that his desire for their respect is different. He is acting within the sphere of influence that God had given to him. He was the first to preach the gospel among them and his ministry had brought them to Christ, so he felt a responsibility for their spiritual welfare. He argued that he wasn’t trying to usurp other men’s positions, but was only doing the job and preaching the message that God had given him. He had never taken advantage of them as these false leaders were doing, but instead served lovingly free of charge.

Within the church today leaders still struggle with envy. It is easy to look at another person’s ministry success and compare it to our own. While there is nothing wrong with helping each other, it is important to remember that God has given us each our own sphere of influence. By enviously encroaching on another’s area of service for the wrong reasons we can miss opportunities that only we can fill. The world is a really big place and we are all needed to fulfill our mission if everyone is to be reached.

Paul knew that when a Christian worker focuses on his own God-given sphere of influence, people’s lives will be impacted and the circle of influence will grow in ever widening circles.

Are you enviously looking at the successful ministries of those around you and desiring to step in for the wrong reasons? Or are you asking God to show you whom you can reach in your sphere of influence?

There are certain things that are always true. No matter how you look at them or try to explain them away, these facts will always be the same. But what if I told you that certain things that are true CAN be changed?

Many of us do not like to look truth in the face. Deep inside we believe that by ignoring certain pieces of information we can make them go away or lessen the effect on our life. For example, when dealing with disease it is tempting to ignore telltale signs so we don’t have to accept a scary diagnosis. We trick our brains into believing everything is okay when in reality each day could be moving us towards disaster.

Yet if we were to consider the facts carefully and act on them, we could change the truth of the situation. Immediately acknowledging our health symptoms, visiting a doctor, and receiving treatment could heal us from a disease that might otherwise cripple or claim our life. Accepting the facts as they stand and dealing with them can change the truth of disease to a new truth of healing.

And there are some who would never ignore symptoms of disease, but who do ignore other truths.

The Spirit of God convicts of sin. We are all born in a sinful state, but when we receive Christ as Savior He begins to transform us into His image. The Holy Spirit gently points out areas in our life that are not pleasing to God and gives us the power to change. It is not pleasant to be confronted with our own weaknesses, so it is tempting to make excuses. Yet hiding from the truth will not be helpful. It is only as we bravely face God’s prodding that our lives can change. The truth of our sin can be replaced by the truth of forgiveness and growth.

The Apostle Paul confronted the Corinthian church with the principle that there was no share in the Kingdom of God for those who made sin their consistent lifestyle. He cautioned these men and women not to fool themselves into thinking that they could live immoral lives and still be right with God.

Yet Paul followed up with an encouraging reminder. Though the ultimate consequence of sin is always separation from God, this reality had changed for some of them. Those individuals who put their faith in Jesus Christ were cleansed from their sin and now accepted by God.

1 Corinthians 6:11“There was a time when some of you were just like that but now your sins are washed away, and you are set apart for God and He has accepted you because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.”

The truth of exclusion from God’s Kingdom because of sin remains unchanged today for those who ignore God’s salvation message. But for those who face the reality of their sin and turn to Jesus Christ, God’s wrath is satisfied and they can receive life instead of death.

There are certain things that will never change. But consider each situation carefully and don’t bury your head in the sand. Look courageously into the face of the facts and act on them – because sometimes you CAN change the truth!

1 Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”

It is very popular today to accuse Christians of being judgmental. When a follower of Jesus chooses to do (or not do) certain things that other people engage in regularly, they are many times labeled as prideful or exclusive. It is often wrong to base our opinions of someone’s standing with God on what we can observe of their choices or abilities, but there are other times when our ability to discern is crucial.

The Bible is filled with wisdom regarding when we should judge others and when we should refrain. So the question begs an answer: “To judge or not to judge?”

In 1 Corinthians Paul is addressing a young church living in the middle of a very immoral society. Corinth, a principal city of Greece, was located in the middle of an important trade route between Asia, Italy and the west. It’s pivotal position in the world, while bringing many different travelers and wealth, also brought many ungodly and lewd influences.

The Gentile believers of Corinth were struggling with many different sin issues that had silently infiltrated the church. In pride they had made judgments about some of the spiritual leaders. They were choosing sides and boasting about being followers of Paul, or followers of Apollos, or followers of other spiritual leaders as they so chose. Paul, in his letter, corrected their wrong focus.

Each of these leaders were servants of Christ entrusted with the mysteries of God. It was inappropriate to pass judgment on them based on their speaking abilities or personal preferences. Neither was it appropriate for the Corinthians to try to develop sects within the church based on the personalities of the various leaders. Instead the believers were to wait for the Lord, Who knows men’s hearts. In His time He would reveal the hidden motives and give praise where it was due.

Though Paul warned the believers not to judge the motives of men’s hearts who have no apparent sin issues, he reversed his rebuke in the next chapter. Here Paul chastised the believers for not judging an immoral situation in their church body. It seems that the church was ignoring the ungodly behavior of one of the members, and quite possibly even condoning it. Though Paul was not present with them physically, he stated that he had already judged the man who was involved in this sin. His verdict on the situation was very harsh for the purpose of bringing the accused to true repentance and thus saving his soul.

Paul went on to state that the Christian’s purpose is not to judge those who are not members of the church body, but only those who are so-called “brothers” in the faith, but who are living in sin. The church’s ignoring these severe improprieties will lead to the risk that the sin attitude might spread and infect the rest of the church, just as one rotten apple will inevitably affect the rest of the apples in the basket.

So how does a follower of Jesus answer the question, “To judge or not to judge?” It takes a lot of wisdom and should not be taken lightly. The only way to have the right discernment is to seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

As we study God’s word diligently and pray earnestly for guidance, God will open our eyes to the truth of each situation. He will show us areas in our own lives that we need to address. In this way, regardless of what the world says about us, we will be able to decide: “To judge or not to judge?”

Love,

Mama

Welcome to Verses From Mama. Open these letters and receive words of truth, healing and hope written to all who long for a mama’s touch. ~Sandy